A Cruise and a String of Pearls
by InvisiblePrincess2002
Summary: After Tootie and Mrs. Garrett broke their promises to Jo and went to the Jermaine Jackson concert, it resulted in painful consequences in both of their relationships with Jo. Can Mrs. G. and Tootie repair the damage? One-shot. Fits into cannon.


**Author's Note:** This story is based on the NBC television series _The Facts of Life_ , which as far as I know, is the property of Embassy Television, Columbia Pictures Television, and Sony Pictures Television **No infringement is intended.**

 **A Cruise and a String of Pearls**

It was in the wee hours of Sunday morning when Mrs. Garrett and Tootie finally got back to the Eastland campus, and when they did walk into the cafeteria, Jo was there waiting for them with her arms folded. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Jo was _not_ pleased, and for a Bronx barbarian with _her_ temper, it was _never_ a good thing to get on her bad side.

"Hello, Jo," Mrs. Garrett said sympathetically. She could take one look at her and tell that things had _not_ gone well with the scholarship fair earlier that evening.

Jo had worked her fingers to the bone for weeks planning and setting up the fair to help raise enough money to fund the scholarship for Eastland's newest scholarship student, who was hoping to start school there next fall. Her roommates and closest friends, Blair Warner, Natalie Green, and Tootie Ramsey, all promised to help her out with the fair that night, as did Mrs. Garrett. But then Tootie, the president of the Eastland branch of the Jermaine Jackson fan club, was given an unexpected opportunity to attend Jermaine's concert in the city that night, and when Mrs. Garrett tried to remind Tootie of her promise to Jo and hold her to that promise, Tootie threw a temper tantrum that would even put Princess Blair's twenty-four-seven occupation as a spoiled brat to shame. Mrs. Garrett, the school dietician and the guardian of Jo, Blair, Natalie, and Tootie at Eastland, usually had no problems being the adult in the room and keeping the girls in line. However, Tootie's tantrum was so insane and over-the-top that it actually frightened Mrs. Garrett, and instead of being the adult in the room that she _should_ have been, she gave in to Tootie and let her get away with her ridiculous behavior. Tootie had also promised Jo over and over again during the previous weeks that she would make twenty-four scarves for the fair, which were going to be the fair's biggest attraction and largest source of money. But even though Mrs. Garrett knew it would hurt Jo, she broke her promise to help her with the fair and she allowed Tootie to get away with breaking her promises as well, and she took her to the concert.

Tootie, seeing the silent fire burning against her in Jo's green eyes, timidly asked, "Did everything go alright at the fair tonight, Jo?"

"We didn't even make _half_ the money we needed to make for this girl's scholarship, Tootie," Jo replied with utter disgust at Tootie. "We barely broke even after all the money we had to spend just to buy everything we needed to set up the fair in the first place. You know, I actually wanna thank you two. You reminded me of somethin' important that I allowed myself to forget after I first came here. For a while, you guys made me believe that there actually were people in this world still worth puttin' your trust in. You know, Mrs. G., after enduring years of broken promises from Pop, after getting abandoned by him, it's been harder than you can begin to imagine to put my trust in someone. _But I did trust you._ "

Alarmed, Mrs. Garrett asked, "Jo, why are you using the past tense?"

"I always believed a promise from Edna Garrett really meant somethin'. A promise from Mrs. Garrett was somethin' I could take to the bank. I couldn't even take a promise from my own father to the bank, but a promise from Mrs. Garrett and my friends here at Eastland _was_ somethin' I was certain I could count on. But not anymore. I don't blame Tootie," she said as her sharp green eyes bore into Tootie's dark eyes. "Judging by her actions tonight, she's proven that she's too stupid and immature to understand that a promise is supposed to mean somethin' and that a girl is supposed to be able to _trust_ the people she calls her friends." Then she turned her gaze back to Mrs. Garrett and said, " _But you are_ supposed to be enough of a grown-up to understand that, Mrs. G. I never dreamed the day would come when Edna Garrett would prove herself to be as unreliable as my absentee dad.

"Time and time and time again when I was a little kid, I was so stupid, because I kept trustin' Pop to actually do what he said he was gonna do. I fell for his bull over and over and over again because I kept wanting to believe in him. I was such a fool. When I finally woke up and smelled the coffee and realized that I could _never_ put my trust in Pop about anything he said, I swore to myself that I wouldn't allow myself to be such a pathetic fool for anybody ever again as long as I lived. Trust is not something I give to people easily. _It's hard_ for me to put my faith in someone, but after I came to Eastland, we got so close that I couldn't help but wanna believe in you. And I did. I let my guard down and I allowed myself to trust you guys, and now, there's another girl out there just like me, and she's not gonna get to come to Eastland next fall because I decided to trust you. I hope you guys are happy with yourselves."

"Jo, I–" Mrs. Garrett started to say.

"You know," Jo interrupted, "when I first came here, I was so sure I'd hate it and be miserable. But it turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. Livin' here at Eastland has gotten me away from my old gang, away from the streets. It might have even saved my life. And the only thing I wanted was to try and do the same thing for some other girl. I wasn't askin' for much. I was just askin' for two people who claimed they cared about me to stay true to their word. That's all. And like I just said, Tootie, I realize that you did what you did because you're young and stupid and you don't know any better. It'll take me some time, but I'll eventually get over it and be able to forgive you. But as for you, Mrs. Garrett, there is no excuse for you lettin' Tootie get away with makin' this girl lose her future scholarship to Eastland. And there's no excuse for what you put me through either. I may have let Pop get away with makin' a fool outta me because I was young and stupid once, too. But there is _no way_ I'm makin' the same mistake twice. I'll do anything you tell me to do in the kitchen and cafeteria, same as always. When it comes to our work, you and I are still in business. You'll always have my respect, Mrs. Garrett. But you _don't_ have my friendship. Not anymore."

Jo then walked out of the cafeteria and went upstairs to bed, and as she was leaving, Mrs. Garrett doubled over as if she'd just been kicked in the gut.

* * *

Nearly two weeks later on a Friday afternoon, Tootie was in the girls' room packing a suitcase since she was planning to fly home and spend the weekend with her parents.

Blair popped into the room then and said, "Hey, Tootie. Are you looking forward to spending a little time at home?"

"Yeah. It sure beats being here. It's been two weeks since the scholarship fair, but Jo still barely says a word to me and Mrs. Garrett. At first I was mad at Jo because she said I was young and stupid, but after seeing how heartbroken Mrs. Garrett is, all because of _me_ and my dumb obsession with Jermaine Jackson, I think Jo's right. When I chose to put a silly fan club and a silly concert above one of the closest friends I've ever had, I really _was_ being stupid. Jo told me in so many words just how much the scholarship fair meant to her right before I got that call inviting me to the concert. And when she said what she did before the call came, I was actually crying. Not temper-tantrum-crying like what happened a little later with Mrs. Garrett. I was _really_ crying, because I could see how much it meant to Jo to help give another girl the same opportunities she's had."

"I know you were crying, Tootie," Blair said seriously. "I remember it. That's why I tried to convince Jo to let you work the ticket booth at the fair. I could tell how upset and sorry you were about breaking your promise to Jo to have those scarves done."

"But the instant I get the offer to go the concert, what's the first thing I do? Even after I can clearly see how much this whole thing means to Jo, I go and throw her under the bus for a couple of concert tickets. Some friend I am. And what's worse, I can't do anything to fix it. I can't go back in time and make the scarves and work at the fair like I should have done. I know I broke my promises to Jo, but still, I had no idea that all of this would do so much damage to my friendship and Mrs. Garrett's friendship with Jo. I feel like such a rotten fool."

"Don't feel too badly, Tootie. We all make mistakes. We're _all_ rotten fools at some point in our lives. Believe it or not, even someone as magnificent as I am has felt that way on very rare occasions."

"Thanks, Blair," said Tootie as she picked up her suitcase off of Jo's bed. "Mrs. Garrett's waiting for me downstairs. She's taking me to the airport."

"I'll see you Sunday night, Tootie. Have a good time. And tell your parents I say hi."

"Thanks. I will. See you, Blair," said Tootie as she began to walk out the door.

"See you," said Blair just before the door closed behind Tootie.

* * *

When Tootie's plane landed at the airport that Sunday night, Mrs. Garrett sent Jo to pick her up on her bike – clearly a strategic move on her part. Mrs. Garrett was obviously hoping that forcing Jo to spend a little one-on-one time with Tootie might help mend things between the two of them. As far as Mrs. Garrett was concerned, unfortunately, Jo hadn't budged an inch from her declaration that she no longer considered her a friend.

As soon as they made it back to the Eastland campus, Tootie excitedly darted up the stairs and knocked on Mrs. Garrett's door, carrying her suitcase. Mrs. G. opened the door a moment later.

"Hello, Tootie. Welcome back," said Mrs. Garrett pleasantly as she let Tootie in.

"Hold everything, Mrs. Garrett. Stop the presses. I have a solution."

"A solution to what?"

"To our problem with Jo. We were in here talking about it just the other day, and we agreed that it isn't words or cards or gifts that touches Jo the most. It's actions."

"That's true."

"And we also agreed that if we can somehow find a way to pay for the next scholarship student's tuition, food, and books, that might convince Jo to forgive us and give us another chance."

"Yes, we did."

"And you said that you'd take all that money you've been saving up for that luxury cruise in the Caribbean this summer and put it in the girl's scholarship fund, and that it should cover more than half of the overall cost. And then I told you that I would find some way to come up with the rest of the money."

"Yes, you did."

"Well, hold onto your hat, Mrs. Garrett," said Tootie as she laid her suitcase down on Mrs. Garrett's bed and opened it. "I've got the money. I've got it right here."

"What have you got, Tootie?" asked Mrs. Garrett with a hopeful smile as she walked towards the bed.

In the next moment, Tootie pulled out a rectangular red velvet box and opened it, revealing an exquisite string of pearls.

"Tootie, where did you get this?" Mrs. Garrett gasped.

"It was a present from my parents. They surprised me with it this weekend."

"They're beautiful. They're absolutely beautiful."

"Yes, they are. And I explained the whole situation with Jo and the scholarship student to Mom and Dad, and I asked them if it would be okay if I sold the pearls and donated the money to the scholarship fund. They weren't too happy at first, but then Dad said that all of this proves that I'm maturing and learning to accept responsibility for my actions. Just before I left, he even told me how proud of me he was, and believe me, a compliment like that from my dad is no small thing."

"I know it's not. And he's right, Tootie. Learning to accept responsibility for your actions _is_ a very big part of growing up, and I'm proud of you too."

Tootie smiled and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Garrett. I had no idea that forgetting to make those scarves and going to that concert was going to cause all this. The next scholarship student losing her opportunity to come to Eastland. Jo not being friends with us anymore. Who knew that forgetting to make a few scarves and saying yes to a couple of concert tickets could cause such chaos?"

"Oh Tootie, that's another part of growing up that you have to begin to understand. Whenever you fail to keep a promise or make a selfish decision, even if it doesn't appear on the surface to be a very big deal, it can sometimes have surprising consequences. And not only for yourself, but for other people too."

"You mean like Jo and that scholarship student?"

"Exactly."

"I think I know what you mean," said Tootie as she got lost in thought for several moments. Then she asked, "Mrs. Garrett, do you think this is going to work? Do you think that if we can come up with enough money between the two of us to pay for this girl's scholarship fund, Jo will finally stop being angry at us and be able to trust us again?"

"I hope so, Tootie," said Mrs. Garrett with a worried sigh. "I hope so."

* * *

That Tuesday afternoon after classes were over, Jo met Mrs. Garrett and Tootie in the lounge like they asked her to that morning.

"What's up?" she asked them.

"We have some big news, Jo. We've got the money for the scholarship fund for next year's scholarship student," Mrs. Garrett happily announced.

Jo's face lit up in that moment, even though she tried her best to hide it. "Oh, really?" she said with a slight grin.

Tootie smiled too and said, "Really, Jo. It's all been taken care of."

"How?"

"You know that money I was saving up for that luxury cruise I was going to take this summer?" said Mrs. G.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I decided this was a much better cause than my summer vacation, so I donated the money I'd saved to the scholarship fund."

"And when I went home to visit my parents last weekend, they surprised me with a special gift. They gave me my first string of real pearls. I sold them yesterday, and I put that money in the scholarship fund, too."

"Fortunately, between the both of us, we had enough to cover the next scholarship student's tuition, books, and food."

"Are you guys for real?" Jo asked while barely suppressing a smile.

"We're for real, Jo," Mrs. G. replied.

"That's terrific. Now maybe some other kid can have the same chance I was given to get off the streets and live at a classy school and get a decent education."

"Yes, and those things are important, Jo," said Mrs. G. "But there's something you need to understand. While Tootie and I were happy to help this girl, we didn't just do it for her. More than anything, we did it for _you._ "

"That's right, Jo," Tootie concurred.

"For me? Why'd you do all this for me?"

"Because we understand how badly we hurt you by violating your trust in us," said Mrs. Garrett in a low, emotional voice. "Sometimes we take it for granted everything you've been through in your old neighborhood. Sometimes we take _you_ for granted. But even though Tootie and I made a very big mistake, we love you so much, and we want to make up for what we did and we want to prove to you that you can always trust us. We love you and we respect you, and our friendship with you is worth much more than a cruise and a string of pearls."

"I know I messed up big time, Jo. When I broke the promises I made to you, I was only thinking about myself, and I wasn't thinking things through. Even though I understood intellectually that you'd been through a lot and had a lifetime of promises broken by the people you trusted the most, _my heart_ didn't truly understand it until a couple of weeks ago. I really am sorry for the way that I hurt you and let you down. And I want you to know I'm never going to do anything like that again. And I always want you to feel like you can trust me."

"Tootie took the words right out of my mouth, Jo, because I feel the same way. I know that after everything you've been through, it is a very special honor to be one of the few people in this world who has your trust. I may have forgotten that for a brief moment in time, but I'll never forget it again."

"Wow," Jo gasped, unable to fight off her tears any longer. "I don't know what to say. You guys are the best."

Without thinking, Tootie and Mrs. Garrett just grabbed Jo and gave her the most ferocious hug.


End file.
